CPR Awareness Week 2025 Trains Over 6 Lakh Indians in Lifesaving Skills

Despite CPR being a globally recognized life-saving technique, India’s bystander CPR rate remains among the lowest in the world.

 

In a remarkable public health initiative, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) successfully organized a nationwide CPR Awareness Week from 13th to 17th October 2025, with the goal of improving India’s response capacity during cardiac emergencies through widespread training in Compression-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

This pan-India campaign was designed to address India’s alarmingly low bystander CPR rates and empower citizens with the knowledge and confidence to intervene during medical emergencies such as sudden cardiac arrest. The initiative was implemented with a whole-of-government approach, involving central ministries, state governments, national institutions, digital platforms, and civil society actors to ensure deep penetration and mass engagement.

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Why CPR Awareness Matters

Despite CPR being a globally recognized life-saving technique, India’s bystander CPR rate remains among the lowest in the world. Studies indicate that timely chest compressions, even without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, can double or triple survival chances after sudden cardiac arrest. The campaign thus sought to address not just knowledge gaps but also behavioural hesitations and cultural stigmas around emergency intervention.

The CPR Awareness Week 2025 had four primary objectives:

1. Raise public awareness about CPR as a critical, lifesaving first aid measure.

2. Provide hands-on training to diverse population segments across India.

3. Engage youth and communities in volunteerism and emergency readiness.

4. Leverage digital platforms for maximum outreach and sustained engagement.

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Massive Nationwide Participation

The week witnessed unprecedented national mobilization:

• Over 7.47 lakh citizens were reached through various activities.

• 6,06,374 individuals received physical training in Compression-only CPR techniques across India.

• 14,701 people participated in the inaugural virtual event via the ECHO platform and YouTube Live.

• 79,870 individuals pledged commitment to CPR awareness on the MyGov platform.

• 36,040 citizens participated in an interactive CPR quiz hosted on MyGov and MyBharat.

• 368 youth volunteers promoted CPR awareness through the Volunteer for Bharat platform.

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Multi-Stakeholder Coordination

The scale of implementation was made possible through the coordinated involvement of multiple central and state-level actors:

• State and UT Health Departments organized field-level training, community awareness drives, and demonstrations.

• Central Government Ministries and Departments—including Home Affairs, Defence, Youth Affairs, Labour, Education, and Railways—mobilized public institutions, educational campuses, and service providers.

• Central government hospitals, AIIMS campuses, Institutes of National Importance (INIs) and autonomous institutions under MoHFW actively conducted on-site training and live demonstrations.

• The Indian Red Cross Society, through its national and district branches, facilitated localized training and awareness sessions.

• Professional medical bodies, such as the Indian Medical Association and nursing councils, engaged healthcare professionals and trainees across state chapters.

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Training Government Officials and Special Units

At Nirman Bhawan, CPR demonstrations and practical training were organized for:

• Central government employees

• CISF personnel

• Housekeeping and support staff

• Officials from various ministries

In a notable highlight, on 16th October, a special CPR training session was conducted for 70 officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), symbolizing the government's commitment to leading by example.

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Expert Panels and Digital Resources

The CPR Week also focused on technical dissemination and public education:

• A high-level panel discussion on “CPR Techniques and the Role of Bystanders” featured experts from AIIMS New Delhi, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and SGT Medical College, moderated by the Deputy Director General, Disaster Management Cell.

  • 10,129 participants joined this session online.

  • Live demonstrations of Compression-only CPR and use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) were presented.

• The Ministry’s Media Cell collaborated with Doordarshan (DD News) to broadcast a special program titled “Total Health – Medical Emergency” on 19th October, featuring live CPR demos and expert discussions.

• An educational video on CPR, produced by the Ministry, was uploaded on YouTube and shared with State and UT health departments as a standardized training resource.

• Bilingual expert interviews (Hindi and English) on CPR methods and public importance were disseminated widely through social media.

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MyGov, MyBharat, and the Digital Push

Digital engagement was a crucial pillar of the initiative:

• The MyGov and MyBharat platforms served as central engagement hubs for citizens to:

  • Take pledges

  • Join CPR quizzes

  • Share stories

  • Access IEC materials and videos

• Hashtag campaigns, reels, banners, and informational posts across social media platforms (X, Instagram, Facebook) boosted the initiative’s visibility and virality.

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Impact and Way Forward

By the end of the CPR Awareness Week 2025:

• More than three-quarters of a million citizens were directly or digitally engaged.

• A new cadre of CPR-literate individuals was created, capable of delivering basic life-saving care during emergencies.

• The initiative laid the foundation for institutionalizing CPR education in schools, workplaces, and public service sectors.

This campaign represents a transformative behavioural shift—from a population hesitant to intervene to one empowered, informed, and equipped to act in moments that matter most.

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Building a Nation of Lifesavers

The CPR Awareness Week 2025 demonstrates that lifesaving knowledge is not the sole preserve of doctors and paramedics—it is a civic skill that every citizen must possess. By promoting Compression-only CPR as a simple, actionable response to cardiac arrest, the Ministry has set a national precedent in public health preparedness and community resilience.

Such mass mobilizations must be followed by ongoing training, school curriculum integration, refresher sessions, and public certification programs to ensure a nation that is not only informed, but ready to save lives at every street corner, schoolyard, and office block.